Bren on 8 March 2021 Ever wondered what it’s like to go for a hike on the frozen continent? With a big thanks to my mates over at Snowys Outdoors, come along and check out the stunning scenery!
Go on and head over to Snowys Blog – Hiking in Antarctica, the Ends of the Earth and check it out!
Bren on 10 October 2020 With travel details formalised this week it’s time to (officially) announce I’ll be heading South for my third summer season in Antarctica. I’m proud to have such a unique opportunity to visit a part of the world which so few people get to see – I’ll be working at Casey station! Again!
It’s 2020 so I’ll try to avoid using the overused word “unprecedented” where possible. So much is going on in the world right now, and will make this Antarctic season quite challenging, requiring adaptability and resilience from all expeditioners.
I head off to Hobart in about two weeks. Then, subject to weather, fly to Wilkins about two weeks after that.
The 74th ANARE is sure going to be a very different season.
Bren on 4 November 2018 Friday was a big day. We had a few delays to our departure and there was quite a bit of waiting around at Hobart airport, but in the afternoon we were airside and about 3pm we were in the back of the C17 and flying down to Antarctica.
Flight time is about four and a half hours. Being a cargo plane there’s not many windows to look out of, and when seated you’re just staring at shipping pallets for a couple hours. We eventually landed at Wilkins Aerodrome and officially commenced our summer working in Antarctica.
After a quick hello and goodbye to the outgoing winterers, we jumped on the Terra Bus and commenced the 70km ride from Wilkins to Casey station.
It was a late arrival getting in to Casey, at about 23:30. After hellos and an emergency briefing, we finally got to our dongas (bedrooms) and could rest up.
The next morning, station inductions continued from 8am and I had my first morning in the office. All the computer systems are the same across stations so it was all coming back to me work-wise.
It’s been a good first weekend, with plenty of introductions and getting to know the crew. Here’s to a good summer ahead.
Bren on 5 October 2018 With the contract signed this week it’s time to (officially) announce I’ll be heading South for my second season. I’m very excited to be getting such an amazing opportunity to visit a part of the world which so few people get to see – I’ll be working in Antarctica! Again!
This summer season I’ll be working at Casey station as an IT Officer for the Australian program for the 71st / 72nd ANARE.
A lot of planning is already underway – I have flights to Hobart booked in, I know where I’ll be staying in town, I have the pre-departure training guide and many other bits and pieces organised. The second year is always a bit easier though as there’s less unknown – I’ve already done all of these things once before so everything feels quite routine so far which is good.
I guess the main difference to last season is that the logistics around Casey station is quite different to the other two Australian bases. Davis and Mawson get the Aurora Australis icebreaker ship in early, then again a second time late in the season, whereas Casey’s resupply is V2 right before Christmas. This means us summerers tend to fly down to start the summer season, are already on base for resupply, then fly back at the end of the season. Checking my ticket details (and remembering this is Antarctica – the “A Factor” means plans are always subject to change) it looks like I’ll be heading down in the back of the C17 Globemaster, and returning on the A319. I’m very excited to fly down instead of the ship this year, if anything just for the new experience of getting to the icy continent by air.
Bren on 23 December 2017 
Thinking about a cool job in 2018? In today’s Courier Mail article I was interviewed about what it’s like working in Antarctica.
To see roles available for next season check out the AAD Jobs website.
Bren on 12 December 2017 
The Mawson Links Invitational was held at Horseshoe Harbour on Sunday afternoon. For a full write up check out my article A gallant round of golf on the Division website.
Bren on 20 November 2017 It has been a rather busy start since arriving here at Mawson that it is now day 5 down here. A bit of a summary:
It was a pretty busy day leaving the ship on Wednesday. I was scheduled for flight #2 which we weren’t too sure if it would make it into the forecasted weather window. They always ensure it’s a good day for flying. The news came in that the flight was going ahead so we got ready. When it was time we went straight from the ship to the plane over the sea ice on a Hägglunds snow vehicle. Once ready for take-off we were on our way. The flight over is amazing with our route mostly following the East Antarctic coastline.
Getting in to station was fun. We landed on the sea ice, donned microspikes on our boots, and walked into “town”. There we met our wintering team and then went straight into inductions around station. Following a fire drill we all sat down to dinner and got to know each other. They’re an amazing bunch of people who haven’t seen any new faces for half a year, so it was great hearing what they’ve been up to over the winter.
My primary role started on the Thursday as the IT Officer for the station. So far I’ve been helping the summer expeditioners get connected and a few other things around the office. I’ve also been helping with upgrading the webcams around station and some satelite upgrades, two projects we’ll be working on over the season.
The weekend rolled around and after completing my Saturday community duties (this week I was on the garbage run around station) we got the bar ready for a party. This week we celebrated the Station Leader’s birthday and the theme was “red”, so I wore a red shirt and found a tartan hat in the costume store downstairs. It was a great night to all celebrate together and just enjoy ourselves.
On Sunday I had my first walk off station. The doc took a few of us newbies on the Guamm loop, a 4.2km walk up the plateau and back. It’s amazing to look back and see how tiny the station is compared to the local scenery of glaciers and icebergs trapped in the sea ice. I’ll definitely be doing this walk again soon.
Bren on 13 August 2017 This week I officially received my contract. This has been a long time coming, and a very exciting moment in my life. It’s so cool to be getting such an amazing opportunity to visit such an incredible part of the world so few get to see – I’ll be working in Antarctica!
More details to follow, but this officially kicks off my travel blog. I’ll be detailing my travel adventures, and also give some insight on what it’s like to work in Antarctica as an IT Officer for the Australian program’s 70th ANARE.